1Cântico dos degraus: Das profundezas clamo a ti, SENHOR.
2Ouve, Senhor, a minha voz; sejam teus ouvidos atentos à voz de minhas súplicas.
3Se tu, SENHOR, considerares todas as perversidades, quem resistirá, Senhor?
4Mas contigo está o perdão, para que tu sejas temido.
5Mantenho esperança no SENHOR, a minha alma espera; e persisto em sua palavra.
6Minha alma [espera ansiosamente] pelo Senhor, mais que os guardas [esperam] pela manhã, [mais] que os vigilantes pelo alvorecer.
7Espere, Israel, pelo SENHOR; porque com o SENHOR há bondade, e com ele muito resgate.
8E ele resgatará Israel de todas as suas perversidades.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
One of the seven 'penitential psalms': 'out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD' — a confession that no one could stand if God marked every sin, followed by a declaration of patient hope, 'like they that watch for the morning.'
Explanation
This eleventh 'Song of Degrees' is one of the most profound and widely used prayers of repentance in the Bible, acknowledging both the seriousness of sin and the certainty of forgiveness available in God ('there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared' — a forgiveness that produces reverence, not contempt). The comparison of waiting for God to night watchmen waiting for the dawn (v.6) conveys both the intensity of the wait and the certainty that it will end. The application for today is that honestly acknowledging our failures before God, without despair, opens the way to renewed hope.
Fun facts
- This is one of the seven traditional 'penitential psalms' of Christian liturgy (along with Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, and 143), historically used during seasons of repentance such as Lent.
- The phrase 'out of the depths' (De Profundis, in Latin) gave its name to an entire musical and literary tradition throughout history, including works by composers such as Bach and Handel.